Wind energy in El Salvador is now a reality

The Ventus Wind Project, owned by the Tracia Network Corporation (a joint venture between Grupo Luz y Fuerza (GLF) and Grupo Centrans), operates two wind farms in Guatemala and one in Nicaragua.  It was 97.7% complete by the beginning of March.  By this time, the company had finished the assembly of the 16 wind turbines with an installed capacity of 50 MW.  At the end of the month, the Tracia Network Corporation brought the project online.

“The assembly has been finished, and the commissioning (test stage) of the last wind turbine was completed in the beginning weeks of March 2021,” the Tracia Network Corporation’s spokesmen reported.

Vestas turbines produce wind energy in El Salvador

The project has 15 wind turbines that are each 120 meters high (the highest in the region). Each of the three blades on the 16 units is 67 meters in length. They will generate 170 gigawatt-hours (GWh) per year.  The Danish manufacturer, Vestas, produced the turbines that are now generating wind energy in El Salvador.

The Ventus Wind Farm is located in the municipality of Metapán, north of the Santa Ana department and 47 miles northwest of the country’s capital, San Salvador.  It will significantly add to El Salvador’s capacity for renewable energy generation.

As a result of bringing the project to fruition, the country will be producing an additional 54 megawatts (MW) of energy through wind power.  This development will prevent the emission of approximately 200,000 tons of CO2 per year into the atmosphere.

Also, the use of wind energy in El Salvador will help reduce the nation’s dependence on imported fossil fuels and provide the country with greater stability in the price of energy and a greater diversification of El the national energy matrix.

The Tracia Network Corporation has indicated that the project does not have a specific sector to which the electricity will be supplied but that the energy generated will be delivered and distributed throughout the national electricity grid.  The country-wide use of the power will benefit the entire nation.

Initially, the project’s investment estimate to generate wind energy in El Salvador was $73.23 million. “The amount of investment is considerable and contributes greatly to the country’s foreign direct investment statistics. This investment is a real example of the trust that El Salvador is generating at both the regional and international levels,” said the project manager.

The project has been completed despite COVID-related delays

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the installation of infrastructure at the Ventus Wind was approximately 45% completed, but then experienced a delay in the unloading, transport, and assembly activities of the main components needed to generate wind power in El Salvador.  These included the wind turbines and other critical equipment.

At the end of construction, Ventus created the installed power generation capacity needed to meet the usage demand for 100,000 Salvadoran homes. The park’s installation generated more than 1,300 direct jobs during the construction phase and another 20 positions at the beginning phase of its operation.

The Tracia Network Corporation’s management has indicated that, beyond the delivery of wind energy in El Salvador, it is open to future investments that aim to grow the region’s energy sector.

Source: PROESA

PROESA is the entity of El Salvador’s government that aids and promotes the activities of Salvadorean exporters and works to attract foreign direct investment to the country.